NDERSEN 

HAIRY  TALES 


MADE    IN    TMt    U.    O.    A. 


THE    STORY 


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One  day  as  the  sun  was  setting  there  came  a  great 

flock  of  splendid  birds  out  of  the  bushes. 

They  were  pure  white  with  long  necks; 

they  were  swans. 


aiFT<Ml 


T  H  E 
UGLY    DUCKLING 


In  the  lovely  country  it  was  summerrtime.  The 
cornfields  were  ripe.  The  oats  were  green.  The 
hay  stood  in  its  tall  stacks,  and  the  storks  Walked 
about  on  their  long  red  legs. 

Yes,  it  was  a  fair,  fair  country.  In  the  midst  of 
all  this  beauty  and  sunshine  there  stood  an  old 
farm  with  deep  canals  around  it.  Near  the  water 
was  a  high  wall  with  bushes  growing  tall;  it  was 
like  a  deep  wood  among  those  bushes  and  there, 
upon  her  nest,  sat 
a  duck  to  hatch 
her  young  ones.    ' 

Day  after  day 
she  kept  at  her 
task  and  ere  the 
little  ones  came 
she  was  very  tired. 
She  was  lonely  too 


^93S92 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


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for  no  one  came  to  see  her.    The  other  ducks  would 
rather  swim  on  the  canals  than  talk  to  her. 

But  at  last  one  of  the  eggs  cracked.  How  eagerly 
the  duck  now  watched  her  nest!  Another  and  an- 
other egg  did  the  same. 

"Peep!  Peep!"  cried 
each  little  duck  as  it 
put  forth  a  soft, 
downy,  yellow  head. 

And  "What  a  big, 
big  world!"  they  all 
exclaimed,  for  surely 
the  nest  was  larger 
than  the  egg  shell. 
"Do  you  think  that 
this  is  all  the  world?"  asked  the  proud  mother. 
"Why,  this  is  not  much!  The  world  runs  way  up 
there  across  the  garden.  I  have  never  been  so  far, 
but  it  is  quite  true  for  all  that." 

"Now  are  you  all  here?"  she  asked  as  she  carefully 
looked  about.     "No.    That  large  egg  is  still  not 
hatched.     How  long  is  that  to  last,  I  wonder?" 
But  she  sat  down  again. 

"How  goes  it?"  asked  an  old  Duck  who  had 
heard  the  news  about  the  new  family  and  had 
waddled  down  to  see  for  herself. 

"This  one  egg  lasts  a  very  long  time,"  replied 
the  patient  mother.     "It  will  not  burst.     But  just 


1 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

look  at  the  little  ducks!  Are  they  not  sweet?  They 
all  look  exactly  like  their  father,  the  dears!^  But 
he,  the  bad  fellow,  does  not  come  to  see  me."^ 

"Let  me  see  the  egg  that  will  not  burst,"  said  the 
old  Duck.  "Ah,  it  is  a  turkey  egg!  I  was  once 
fooled  that  way.  I  had  great  trouble,  for  turkeys 
are  afraid  of  the  water.  They  will  never  venture 
on  it.  You  had  better  leave  that  egg  and  go  and 
teach  your  other  children  how  to  swim." 

"I'll  stay  a  little  longer,"  answered  the  mother. 
"I  have  sat  so  long  that  a  few  more  days  now  will 
not  matter." 

"Just  as  you  please,"  said  the  old  Duck  coldly 
as  she  walked  off. 

At  last  the  egg  burst. 

"Peep!  Peep!"  said  the  little  one,  and  out  it  crept 
from  the  shell. 

It  was  very  ugly. 

"It  is  not  like  the  others!"  wailed  the  mother. 
"Can  it  be  a  turkey  chick.^  We  will  soon  find  out. 
It  shall  go  into  the  water  if  I  have  to  push  it  in!" 


wm' 


%^.-;. 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


The  next 
day  was 
bright  and 
fair.  The 
mother  duck 
went  early 
to  the  pond 
with  all  her 
little  ones,  and  it  was  indeed  a  pretty  sight. 
"Splash!"  into  the  water  she  went. 
''Quack!  Quack!"  she  called.  That  meant 
''Come!  Gome!"  as  every  one  of  the  little  ducks 
knew  and  in  they  followed  one  after  the  other.  The 
water  closed  over  them — but  what  did  they  care.^ 
Their  legs  went  as  easily  as  could  be.  It  was  great 
sport! 

And  the  ugly  little  duck  was  there  too,  swimming 
with  the  rest. 

"It  is  not  a  turkey  chick!"  exulted  the  mother 
duck.     "It  is 


my  very  own 
child.  And  if 
you  look  at  it 
the  right  way 
it  is  not  very 
ugly.  Come, 
my  dears,  I 
will  take  you  to  the  barnyard  and  show  you  the 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


great  world.  Now  keep  close  to  me.  Some  one 
might  tread  on  you.    And  look  out  for  cats!" 

There  was  a  hot  battle  going  on  in  the  barnyard. 
Two  parties  were  fighting  desperately  for  a  fish's 
head,  and  in  the  end  the  cat  got  it  all. 

"That's  the  way  of  the  world!"  cried  the  mother 
duck,  and  she  sharpened  her  beak.  Ah!  how  she 
wanted  the  fish  head  1 

''Use  your  legs!" 
she  commanded  her 
family.  ''Hurry 
about  and  bow  your 
heads  to  the  old 
Duck  over  there. 
She's  the  grandest  of 
them  all.     She  has 

Spanish  blood  in  her,  and  that  is  why  she  is  so  fat. 
And  do  you  see  that  she  has  a  red  rag  around  her 
leg.^  That  is  something  fine — the  greatest  thing  a 
duck  can  have.  It  means  that  her  owner  does  not 
want  to  lose  her.  Don't  turn  in  your  toes!  A 
well-bred  duck  always  turns  them  out  like  father 
and  mother.  Now  bend  your  necks  and  say  'Rap  I' ' ' 

And  they  did  so;  but  the  other  ducks  cried  coldly: 

''Were  there  not  enough  ducks  here  without  all 
these.^  And  look  at  that  ugly  one  over  there!  We 
won't  stand  that!"  and  one  flew  up  and  bit  the 
poor  little  gray  thing  in  the  neck! 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


"Oh,  shame!"  cried  out  the  mother  duck.  "She 
is  doing  no  harm!" 

"But  she's  too  large  and  queer,"  cried  the  duck 
who  had  bitten  it,  "and  so  we  will  tease  her!" 

Just  then  the  old  duck  with  the  rag  on  her  leg 
said  slowly:  "Those  are  pretty  children  that  the 
mother  has  there,  all  but  one;  that  one  is  a  failure. 
I  wish  she  could  make  it  pretty  like  the  rest." 

"That  I  cannot  do,  my  lady,"  said  the  poor 
mother.     "She  is  not  pretty  but  she  is  very  sweet, 

and  she  swims  just  as  well  as 
the  others.  She  may  grow 
pretty,"  and  she  smoothed 
its  feathers. 

Well,  your  other  children 
are  graceful.  Make  yourself 

at  home  and 
the  next  fish 
head  you  see, 
take  it.  But 
do  not  eat  it — 
you  may  bring 
it  tome!" 

Soon  after 
they  went 
home,  and  all 
..  ^  along  the  way 
the  ugly  duckling  was  pushed  and  hurt  and  jeered. 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 

That  was  the  first  day.  And  as  time  went  on 
things  steadily  grew  worse  and  worse. 

Her  own  brothers  and  sisters  were  cruel  to  her 
and  at  every  turn  she  was  made  to  suffer.  Even 
her  mother  wished  that  the  ugly  child  was  far 
away.  As  she  grew  big  she  flew  over  the  fence,  and 
the  little  birds  were  afraid  of  her.  If  she  went  into 
the  barnyard  the  girl  who  fed  the  fowls  kicked  her 
with  her  foot. 

''It  is  because  I  am  so  very  ugly,"  cried  the  poor 
little  thing  in  despair,  and  one  day  she  flew  away 
to  the  wild  ducks  who  lived  out  on  the  wide  moor. 
Here  she  lay  sad  and  tired. 

When  the  wild  ducks  saw  her,  they  said,  "What 
sort  of  a  duck  are  you.^" 

And  then  when  the  poor  thing  tried  to  make  a 
bow  as  best  she  could,  they  only  jeered  at  her 
effort  to  be  polite. 

''You  are  very  ugly,"  they  laughed,  "but  we  do 
not  mind  if  you  do  not  marry  into  our  family." 

Marry !  Poor  little  duckling,  she  had  not  thought 
of  such  a  thing.  She  only  wanted  to  find  a  home 
where  she  could  rest  and  have  a  quiet  drink  from 
the  river. 

So  she  stayed  two  days.  Then  a  pair  of  very 
saucy  ganders  came  by.  They  were  young  and 
wanted  to  have  a  good  time. 

"You  are  so  ugly  that  Ave  like  you,"  said  they. 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


"Will  you  come  with  us  and  be  a  bird  that  flies 
from  place  to  place?  Near  here  there  are  some 
lovely  wild  geese.  We  are  quite  sure  that  one  of 
them  would  say  'Rap!'  to  you  if  you  asked  one  to 
marry  you." 

'Tiff!  Paff !"  a  shot  rang  out.  One  of  the  young 
ganders  fell  dead. 

"Paff!  Piff !"  spoke  another  gun.  And  the  second 
saucy  young  gander  fell  as  the  first. 

A  great  hunt  was  going  on.  The  water  was  red 
with  blood.  The  ugly  duckling  had  never  been  so 
frightened.  She  put  her  head  under  her  wing,  and 
when  she  had  gathered  enough  courage  to  look  out 
again,  what  do  you  think  she  saw.^ 


^  5-^. 


A  frightful  great  dog,  with  his  tongue  hanging 
far  out! 

He  tried  to  snap  at  her,  but  she  knew  the  land 
was  no  place  for  her.  Into  the  water  she  went,  and 
the  dog  ran  on. 

'T  am  so  ugly,"  cried  she,  "that  even  the  dog 
runs  away!" 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


So  she  lay  still  at 
the  water's  edge,  hid- 
den by  some  over- 
hanging bushes.  She 
listened  intently  as 
the  shots  grew  fur- 
ther and  further 
apart.  Finally  they 
ceased  altogether. 
When  she  had  assured  herself  that  the  hunt  was 
really  over,  she  climbed  up  the  bank  and  walked 
sadly  on.  The  sun  sank  lower  and  lower  in  the 
west.  Another  day  was  almost  done.  When  it  had 
dipped  below  the  horizon  and  even  the  last  of  its 
beautiful  afterglow  had  faded  and  night  was  indeed 
near  the  ugly  duckling  came  to  a  poor  hut.  She 
saw  that  the  one  door  stood  partly  open.  With 
the  night  there  had  come  a  storm  and  as  the  wind 
was  blowing  wildly,  the  duckling  crept  into  the 
hovel  to  find  both  shelter  and  rest. 

Now  in  this  poor  hut  there  lived  a  woman  with 
her  cat  and  her  hen.  The  cat  she  called  Sonnie! 
He  could  arch  his  back,  and  he  could  purr,  and  he 
could  make  sparks  fly  from  his  eyes. 

The  hen  had  short  legs  but  a  long  name.  The 
woman  called  her  Chick-a-biddy-short-shanks.  And 
as  she  laid  good  eggs  and  many  of  them,  the  woman 
loved  her  as  her  own  child. 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


Now  when  the  cat  and  theTien  saw  the  poor 
duckling  the  cat  purred  and  the  hen  clucked. 

The  old  woman 

could  not  see  very 

well,  and  for  a  time 

she  did  not  see  the 

duck.  When  she  did 

she  was  glad  for,  as 

she  had  no  duck  of 

her  own,  she  thought 

it  was  quite  a  prize. 

But  the  hen  and 

the  cat  did  not  like  to 

have  anyone  share 

their  home,  selfish 

creatures  that  they  were,  and  Avere  so  cross  that  the 

duckling  sat  lonely  enough  in  her  corner. 

One  day  she  longed  so  to  have  a  swim  that  she 
told  the  hen  all  about  it. 

"What  a  queer  thought!"  scoffed  the  hen.  "If 
you  had  more  to  do  you  would  not  have  time  to  be 
thinking  of  such  silly  things." 

"But  it  is  lovely  to  swim  on  the  water,"  insisted 
the  duckling.  "It  is  fine  to  dive  down  to  the 
bottom." 

"You  must  be  crazy,"  replied  the  hen.  "I  am 
sure  you  are  crazy.  At  any  rate,  you  had  better 
ask  the  cat  about  it.     He  is  the  wisest  creature  I 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


know  roundabout  here.  Ask  hirn  if  he  likes  to 
swim  on  the  water.  Ask  the  old  woman;'  I  do 
not  think  they  would  care  to  go  diving  dbwin  to  the 
bottom  of  the  water." 

''You  don't  know  what  I  mean!"  cried  the  duck- 
ling in  despair. 

''No,  we  do  not,"  answered  the  hen.  "But  who 
does,  pray.^  You  had  better  be  thankful  you  have 
enough  food  and  a  warm  home,  and  stop  talking 
so  silly." 

"I  think  I  will  go 
away,"  at  last  the 
duckling  thought, 
"away  into  the 
great  wide  world." 

And  she  went,  i^ 
She  soon  found  the  ^  ' 
swam  A 


water  and 
and  dived.    Oh,  it^^ 
was  good!    But  it  M 
was  the  same  story    v^^ 
— every   bird    and  4 
beast  hurt  her,  or 
was  afraid  of  her. 

Then  came  the 
autumn .     The 
leaves  fell.     The  clouds  hung  gray  and  low.    At 
last  the  snowflakes  whirled  through  the  chill  air. 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


One  day  as  the  sun  was  setting  there  came  a 
great  flock  of  splendid  birds  out  of  the  bushes. 
They  were  pure  white  with  long  necks;  they  were 
swans. 

They  gave  a  long,  low  cry,  spread  out  their  beau- 
tiful strong  wings  and  flew  away  to  warmer  lands. 

So  high,  so  high  they  went!  And  the  ugly  duck- 
ling felt  very  queer  as  she  watched  them  go.  She 
turned  round  and  round  in  the  water,  and  then 
she  too  gave  a  long,  low  cry.  It  almost  made  her 
afraid,  that  cry  she  uttered. 

She  could  not  forget  the  lovely  white  birds,  and 


?r  ■  i  nif  immm^mMmSk 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


she  knew  that  soon  she  would  see  them  no  more. 

She  dived  to  the  bottom  of  the  river,  and  when 
she  came  up  she  was  almost  beside  herself  with 
grief.  She  knew  not  the  name  of  the  wonderful 
birds,  nor  where  they  had  gone,  but  she  did  know 
that  she  loved  them  every  one. 

She  did  not  envy  them.  She  could  not  be  hke 
them.  But  oh!  she  loved  them.  Poor  little  ugly 
duckling! 

The  winter  grew  cold !  The  duckling  had  to  swim 
around  a  great  deal 
to  keep  the  water 
from  freezing  in  the 
river.  But  in  spite  of 
all  her  efforts  each 
night  the  hole  in 
which  she  swam  grew 
smaller  and  smaller 
and  smaller.  She 
had  to  keep  her  legs  going  all  the  time  until  at  last, 
quite  worn  out  with  her  efforts,  she  sat  still  and  the 
water  froze  about  her.  But  early  in  the  morning  a 
man  passing  by  saw  the  poor  duckling  and  he 
broke  the  ice  and  carried  her  to  his  home.  The 
children  wanted  to  play  with  her  but  that  made  her 
afraid  and  she  flew  into  the  milk  pan  and  the  flour. 
At  which  the  mother  struck  at  her  with  a  stick  and 
that  made  her  still  more  afraid.     But  just  then  the 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


door  was  flung  open.  The  poor  duckling  flew  out 
and  dropped  half  dead  upon  the  snow. 

I  will  not  try  to  tell  you  how  dreadful  that  long, 
cold  winter  was  to  the  poor  duckhng.  It  would 
make  your  hearts  far  too  sad  to  hear. 

Then  spring  came.  The  sun  shone  warm,  the 
larks  sang  as  they  pierced  the  sky,  and  the  duckling 
could  flap  her  weak  wings. 

Each  day  her  wings  grew  stronger  and  soon, 
without  knowing  just  how  it  happened,  she  found 
herself  in  a  lovely  garden  where  bright  flowers  blos- 
somed and  shed  their  perfume  on  the  warm  air, 
and  a  canal  ran  near  by. 

This  was  fine  indeed!  And  then  one  day  there 
came  three  dear  white  swans  and  they  swam  on 

the  canal. 

The  duckhng  knew  them.  Had  she  not  thought 
of  them  every  day  the  long  winter  through? 

She  said  sadly,  "I 


will  fly  to  them  and 
tell  them  how  I  suf- 
fer. They  may  kill 
me  because  I  am  so 
very  ugly,  but  I  do 
not  care.  I  would 
far  rather  die  than 
be  beaten  and  left  to 
live  another  winter." 


THE  UGLY  DUCKLING 


The  duckling  flew  out  on  the  canal  and  the  three 
swans  saw  it  and  came  with  spread  wings. 

''Kill  me!"  cried  the  poor  _ duckling  as  she 
bent  her  head. 

What  did  she  see.^  She  saw  herself  in  the  water, 
and  lo!  no  longer  was  she  a  gray  ugly  duckling, 
hateful  to  look  upon — she  was  a  swan! 

It  did  not  matter  if  she  were  born  in  a  duck 
yard;  she  had  come  out  of  a  swan  egg. 

The  swans  came 
nearer,  and  touched 
her  with  their 
beaks.  Into  the 
garden  came  some 
little  children  and 
they  threw  bread  to 
the  swans.  The 
youngest  child 
cried,  "There  is  a 
new  swan!"  and  all 
the  rest  shouted,  "Yes,  a  new  one,  and  it  is  the 
sweetest  of  all!     So  young!     So  pretty!" 

She  was  so  happy  she  did  not  know  what  to 
do;  all  the  old  trouble  was  gone  and  from  her  glad 
heart  she  cried,  ''I  never  dreamed  of  so  much  joy 
when  I  was  an  ugly  duckling!" 


THE 

TIN 

SOLDIER 


There  were  twenty-five  tin  sol- 
diers once  on  a  time.  They  were 
all  brothers,  for  they  had  all  been  made  out  of  one 
old  spoon.  They  had  muskets,  and  they  all  looked 
right  in  front  of  them.  Their  clothes  were  red 
and  blue,  and  I  tell  you  they  were  a  fine  lot. 

The  first  words  they  ever  heard  as  the  lid  was 
taken  off  their  box  were  'Tin  Soldiers!"  A  little 
boy  had  spoken  the  words,  and  he  clapped  his 
hands  in  joy. 

It  was  his  birthday,  and  when  he  had  looked  at 
them  he  put  them  on  the  table. 

All  the  Tin  Soldiers  were  alike  but  one.  There 
had  not  been  enough  tin  to  finish  him  so  he  had 
only  one  leg.  But  he  stood  on  that  as  well  as  the 
others  did  on  two  legs,  and  this  soldier  was  to  be 
greater  than  all  the  other  twenty-four. 

On  the  table  were  many  toys  besides  the  soldiers, 
and  the  best  was  a  paper  castle. 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER 


If  one  looked  in  the 
windows  one  could  see 
the  hall,  and  in  front 
of  it  were  some  trees 
and  a  lake  made  of  a 
bit  of  glass. 

Wax  swans  swam 
on  the  lake;  it  was  all 
very  pretty,  but  the 
sweetest  of  all  was  a 
small  lady  who  stood 
by  the  castle  door. 

She  was  made  of  paper,  but  she  had  a  dress  of 
thin  lace  and  a  ribbon  around  her  waist,  and  on 
the  ribbon  was  a  paper  rose  as  big  as  her  face. 

The  little  lady  held  her  arms  up  for  she  was  a 
dancer,  and  she  held  one  leg  so  high  that  the  Tin 
Soldier  could  not  see  it  at  all,  and  he  thought  that 
she  had  but  one  leg. 

''She  would  be  just  the  wife  for  me,"  he  thought, 
''but  she  is  too  grand.  She  lives  in  a  castle,  and  I 
have  only  a  box,  and  so  many  of  us  live  in  the  box! 
It  really  is  no  place  for  her." 

But  he  felt  he  must  know  her.  He  lay  down 
behind  a  box  and  watched  her  all  day.  There  she 
stood  on  one  leg;  she  did  not  seem  to  get  tired  at  all. 

At  night  the  toys  began  to  have  their  fun.  They 
played  war;  they  gave  balls  and  paid  visits. 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER 


The  Nut  Cracker  jumped  up  and  down.  The 
Pencil  ran  about  on  a  piece  of  paper,  and  they  all 
made  so  much  noise  that  the  bird  in  its  cage  woke 
up  and  began  to  talk.  The  only  ones  who  could 
not  join  the  fun  were  the  Tin  Soldiers  and  the 
D  ancing  Lady. 
(You  know  the  •  ^  ^^ 
soldier  with  one  leg 
was  not  in  the  box 
with  his  brothers, 
but  was  hid  behind 
another  box.) 

The  clock  struck 
twelve — and  bounce! 
The  lid  flew  off  the 
box  behind  which 
was  the  Soldier,  and 
as  true  as  I  tell  you  out  of  the  box  came  a  Goblin. 
You  see  it  was  a  trick! 

"Tin  Soldier,"  said  the  Goblin,  "do  not  stare 
so  at  what  does  not  concern  you." 

The  Soldier  did  not  seem  to  hear. 

"Just  you  wait  until  tomorrow!"  said  the  Goblin. 

The  next  day  when  the  children  came  the  Tin 
Soldier  was  put  in  the  window,  and  I  do  not  know 
whether  it  was  the  Gobhn  or  the  wind  who  caught 
him,  but  heels  over  head  the  poor  Soldier  fell  from 
the  third  story  to  the  street. 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER 


The  nurse  and  the  little  boy  came  down  at  once 
to  look  for  him.  If  he  had  only  cried  out,  "Here 
I  am!"  they 
would  have 
heard  him,  but 
he  was  too  brave 
to  cry. 

Then  it  began 
to  rain  and  soon 
the  streets  were 
full  of  water. 
Two  bovs  came 
by  and  one 
cried,  '  'Oh, 
look!  There's  a 
Tin  Soldier!" 

A  nd  t  hey 
made  a  paper  boat  and  sailed  him  down  the  gutter. 

Oh,  dear!  how  high  the  waves  were  in  that  gutter! 
Still  the  Tin  Soldier  stood  firm  and  looked  right  in 
front  of  him,  just  like  a  true  Soldier  does  in  danger. 

All  at  once  the  boat  went  into  a  dark  place. 

"Where  am  I  going  now?"  thought  he.  'This 
is  the  Goblin's  fault.  Ah!  if  the  httle  lady  was  in 
the  boat  with  me  I  would  not  mind  the  dark." 

But  just  then  a  Water  Rat  jumped  out  in  front 
of  the  boat.  "Give  me  your  passport!"  said  he. 
The  Soldier  held  his  gun  close  and  said  not  a  word. 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER 

But  the  stream  grew  stronger.  The  Tin  Soldier 
could  see  the  light  beyond  and  he  heard  a  great 
noise  that  would  have  made  even  you  afraid.  Only 
think  right  ahead  was  a  deep  river,  and  for  that 
little  Soldier  in  his  tiny  boat  that  was  an  awful 
thing.  The  boat  sailed  on  and  the  Soldier  stood 
stiff  and  not  even  an  eye  winked. 

The  boat  turned  around  three  times.     The  water 
came  in.     The  Tin  Soldier  stood  up  to  his  neck  in 
it;  then  it  closed  over  his  head.     He  thought  of  the 
sweet  lady,  and  a  song  came  to  him  as  he  sank: 
"Farewell,  farewell,  thou  warrior  brave, 
For  this  day  thou  must  die!" 

The  boat  broke  in  two  parts,  and  just  at  that 
moment  a  great  fish  snapped  the  Tin  Soldier. 

Well,  it  was  dark  in  the  fish's  body!  And  it 
was  small  too.  The  Tin  Soldier  could  only  lie 
straight  and  not  turn  around.  The  fish  swam  to 
and  fro,  but  before  long  he  was  caught  on  a  hook, 
and  thenlight  shone  on  the  Tin  Soldier  and  some  one 
cried,  "The  Soldier!"  It  was  strange  but  the  cook 
at  the  little  boy's  house  had  bought  the  fish  and 
when  she  cut  it  open  she  saw  the  Soldier  and  took 
him  to  the  room  above  to  show  to  the  children. 

It  was  the  same  dear  room,  and  the  children  and 
toys,  but  best  of  all  there  was  the  Dancing  Lady! 
The  Soldier  almost  cried  when  he  saw  her,  but  they 
looked  at  each  other  and  said  not  a  word. 


THE  TIN  SOLDIER 


Then  one  of 
the  boys  without 
any  reason  took 
the  poor  Soldier 
and  flung  him  in- 
to the  fire.  I  am 
sure  it  was  the 
Goblin  who  made 
him  do  it. 

The  Soldier 

stood  still  in  the 

awful  heat;  the 

color  of  his  coat 

|uj  melted  away.   He 

looked  at  the  dear 

little  lady  and  she 

looked  at  him. 

He  felt  as  if  he 

were  melting  but 

he  stood  firm. 

Then  the  wind  caught  the  Dancing  Lady,  and  she 

flew  through  the  air  like  a  bird  and  came  right  in 

the  fire  near  the  Tin  Soldier.     A  flash,  and  she 

was  gone  into  the  blaze! 

The  Tin  Soldier  melted  in  a  lump  at  first  and 
then  he  melted  into  the  shape  of  a  heart.  The 
little  lady  was  all  gone,  only  the  rose  she  had  worn 
was  left,  and  that  was  black  as  the  coal. 


THE 
PRINCESS    ON    THE    PEA 

There  was  once  a  Prince  who  wanted  to  be 
married,  but  no  one  quite  suited  him.  You  see 
he  wanted  a  real  Princess,  not  just  one  who  was  a 
King's  daughter.  He  wished  her  to  be  a  Princess 
through  and  through,  and  it  was  just  as  hard  to 
find  one  then  as  it  is  now. 

He  went  all  over  the  world,  and  he  saw  many, 
many  a  Princess,  but  there  was  something  wrong 
about  each  one.  At  last  he  went  home  quite  sad 
because  he 
thought  there 
were  no  more  real 
Princesses. 

One  night  when 
he  and  his  father 
and  mother  sat  in 
their  castle  a 
great  storm  came 
up.  The  wind 
blew,  the  rain  fell 
in  torrents  and 
the  old  castle 
shook  and  ^ 
swayed.  All  at  F 
once  there  was  a 
loud  knock  on  the  door,  and  the  old  King  went  and 


THE  PRINCESS  ON  THE  PEA 

opened  it  himself.  And  there  upon  the  steps  stood 
a  Princess! 

The  King  knew  her  to  be  one  at  once.  She  was 
wet  and  tired  and  looked  forlorn,  I  can  tell  you. 
She  said  that  she  was  a  real  Princess  and  so  the 
Queen  said  she  might  come  in  out  of  the  storm. 

"We  shall  see  if  she  is  a  real  Princess,"  said  the 
Queen.     "I  have  a  sure  way  of  finding  out." 


While  the  others  were  at  supper  she  went  to  make 
the  bed  where  the  Princess  was  to  sleep. 

Now,  first  she  put  three  little  hard  peas  on  the 
bed  spring.  She  then  laid  twenty  mattresses  on 
and  twenty  feather  beds  on  top  of  all. 

And  that  was  the  bed  for  the  Princess. 


THE  PRINCESS  ON  THE  PEA 


The  next  morning  when  they  were  all  at  break- 
fast the  Queen  said,  ''Well,  my  dear,  did  you  sleep 
well  last  night?" 

"Oh,  no!"  replied  the  Princess.  "I  did  not  sleep 
at  all.  I  do  not  know  what  was  in  my  bed,  but 
it  was  something  so  hard  that  my  body  is  all  black 
and  blue.     It  has  hurt  me  very  much." 

Now  the  Queen  was  sure  that  here  was  a  real 
Princess  at  last.  If  she  could  feel  those  peas 
through  all  those  mattresses  there  could  be  no  mis- 
take. So  the  Prince  married  her  and  they  had  a 
fine  wedding  and  were  happy  as  could  be. 

The  three  peas  were  put  where  all  the  people 
could  see  them,  and  they  may  be  there  now  if  they 
are  not  lost! 


THE 

FIR 

TREE 
Far  in  the  deep 
woods  there  once 
grew  a  pretty  Fir 
Tree.  It  was  a  bright 
place.  The  sun  shone 
on  the  tree,  the  breeze  kissed  it  and  near  it  grew 
other  fir  trees,  some  young,  some  old. 

But  the  little  Fir  Tree  was  not  happy.  He  did 
not  care  for  wind  or  sun.  He  wanted  to  be  tall! 
He  thought  of  it  all  the  time.  When  the  boys  and 
girls  sat  neath  his  shade  and  said,  ''What  a  dear 
little  tree!"  he  was  much  vexed. 

Year  by  year  the  Tree  grew.  A  long  shoot  was 
sent  out  each  year  and  by  that  you  could  tell  how 
old  the  Tree  was. 

'T  want  to  be  tall!"  he  cried.  'T  want  to  be 
tall!  Then  the  birds  will  nest  in  my  branches  and 
my  crown  shall  look  out  at  the  great  world!" 

When  snow  came  a  Httle  hare  just  for  fun  would 
run  and  jump  over  the  Tree.  That  was  hard  to 
bear.  Think  of  a  hare  jumping  over  you!  The 
thought  of  that  made  the  Tree  forget  the  song  of 
birds,  the  sun  and  the  bright  clouds. 

Men  came  in  the  Fall  and  cut  the  tall  trees  down. 
The  crash  made  the  Fir  Tree  shake  with  fear.  There 
they  lay  quite  dead.     Poor  trees!    Where  were  they 


THE  FIR  TREE 

to  go?     Far,  far  from  the  deep  woods,  but  where? 

One  Spring  when  the  birds  had  come  back,  the 
Tree  said,  ''Know  you  where  the  tall  trees  have 
gone,  my  friends?     Did  you  meet  them?" 

A  big  stork  replied,  "Yes,  I  saw  them!  As  I 
flew  here  I  met  some  ships.  Those  ships  had  great 
masts.  Those  tall  masts  were  your  friends,  I  think ; 
they  smelled  hke  fir.  You  may  be  proud  of  them, 
they  sailed  so  finely." 

Then  the  Fir  Tree  said,  ''Oh,  that  I  were  tall  so  I 
might  sail  the  sea!  What  is  the  sea?  Tell  me, 
what  does  it  look  like?" 

"It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  you,"  said  the 
stork,  and  away  he  flew. 

When  Christmas  drew  near,  a  great  many  young 
trees  were  cut  down,  some  not  as  tall  as  the  Fir 
Tree.     Then  horses  drew  them  from  the  woods. 

"Where  do  they  go?"  asked  the  Fir  Tree.  "They 
are  not  as  tall  as  I." 

"We  know,"  cried  the  birds.  "We  saw  them  in 
the  town.  There  they  grow  in  a  warm  room.  No 
more  cold  or  snow.  Bright  things  are  hung  on 
them,  and  gay  lights  shine  from  their  boughs." 

"Oh,  I  wish  that  I  might  go  too!"  sighed  the  Fir 
Tree.  "I  long  to  go  and  see  the  world!  If  I  am 
tall  next  year  it  may  be  they  will  take  me.  I  must 
grow  and  grow!" 

So  through  the  cold  and  the  heat  the  Tree  grew. 


THE  FIR  TREE 


Christmas  drew 
near  again.  Some 
one  saw  the  Fir  Tree 
and  cried:  ''See  that 
fine  tree!"  and  then 
the  great  ax  struck 
on  him  and  with  a 
groan  he  fell  to  the 
ground.  A  sharp 
pain  was  all  he  felt. 
He  forgot  his  joy. 

He  saw  his  old 
friends,  the  dear  sun 
and  wind .  He  knew  he  would  never  see  them  more, 
and  at  last  his  heart  was  sad.  Poor  little  Tree! 
~  The  next  he  knew,  two  men  took  him  from  the 
cold  and  dark  into  a  bright  room.  There  were 
toys  and  boys  and  girls,  and  there  was  a  lady  who 
hung  gay  things  upon  his  branches. 

*To-night,"  they  said,  "we  will  light  the  Tree." 

The  Fir  had  not  thought  of  anything  so  fine. 
''Oh,  that  the  trees  would  come  from  the  wood  to 
see  me!"  he  thought.     'This  is  life!    This  is  joy!" 

Night  came.  The  candles  were  lighted.  Oh, 
what  a  blaze  of  hght!  Then  the  doors  of  the  room 
were  flung  back,  and  in  came  the  boys  and  girls 
laughing  in  their  dehght.  "Tell  us  a  tale,"  cried 
they  to  a  man  who  stood  near. 


THE  FIR  TREE 


Then  he  told  them  about  Humpty  Dumpty. 

''Ah,  me!"  thought  the  Tree.  "Is  this  true? 
Who  knows,  I  too  may  fall  down  stairs,  win  a 
throne  and  wed  a  princess!" 

Poor,  poor  Tree!  You  see  how  vain  and  silly  he 
had  grown.  He  thought  about  the  story  all  night. 
In  the  dim  dawn  the  maids  came  into  the  room. 

''More  joy,"  thought  the  Tree.  But  he  was 
wrong.  They  took  him  with  rough  hands  and 
bore  him  to  a  dark  attic  and  there  left  him  alone. 

"It  is  cold!"  cried  the  Fir  Tree,  "and  it  is  so 
lonely  here!" 

"It  is  cold,"  squeaked 
the  mice,  "but  it  is  nice 
here.  Tell  us  what  you 
know." 

"I  know  of  the  woods, 
where  the  sun  shines  and 
the  wind  blows."  Then 
he  told  them  of  the  night 
in  the  warm  room. 

"Those  dear  times 
may  come  again. 
Humpty  Dumpty  fell 
down  stairs,  yet  won  the 
princess." 

Then  the  Fir  Tree 
thought  of  the  sweet  Birch  Tree  in  the  dear  old 


THE  FIR  TREE 


woods.     What  a  princess  she  would  be  for  him,  to 
be  sure! 

One  day  a  maid  came  to  the  attic  and  when  she 
saw  the  Tree  she  took  it  down  stairs  and  out  into 
the  Hght  and  air. 

''Quir-ri-vir-ri-vit!"  sang  the  birds.  ''My  love 
is  come!" 

He  knew  what  they  meant.  "I  shall  hve!"  he 
sang  back.  But  no,  he  was  thrown  on  a  heap  of 
weeds  and  boys  and  girls  tore  his  branches  and 
cried,  ''See  the  ugly  old  tree!" 

^  "Oh,  if  I  had  only  been  content  with  the  sun  and 
air  and  birds! 
Too  late!  All 
is  gone  of  my 
old  glad  hfe!" 
he  thought. 

All  tales  must 
end,  and  so  the 
Fir  Tree  was 
burnt,  and  all 
was  past. 


r 

14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

EDUCATION-PSYCHOLOGY 
LIBRARY 

TEL.  NO.  642-4209 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  tg  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  ^ject  to  immediate  recall. 

<                      lii 

n                (11 

LD  21A-15m-l,'71                        ,,   .  General  Library 
(P2357sl0)476— A-32                   Universiry  of  California 

BcTkelcy 

YD  28409 


;•••■», 


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